Mining apparatus



/ N. D. LEVIN. MINING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION HLED MAR-8 1917- RENEWED APR. 2,1921.

Patented M w W, 1921.

VENTOR.

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MINING} .AFJPARAUEUS.

Specification of Letters Eatent.

Application filed March a, 1817, Serial No. 153,471. Renewed April 53, rear. Eleriai No. tfihfltd.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that l, NILS D. lbnvm, a citizen of the United States, resid ng at Columbus, in the county of Frankl n and the State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mining Apparatus, of which the following 1s a specification, reference being bad therein to the accompanying drawing.

The present invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in slack shoveling devices adapted to remove the outtings produced by the cutter bits of mining machines of the well known short wall types.

lln machines of the short wall types the coal is commonly cut by an elongated cutting mechanism adapted to bethrust longitudinally into the material to be mined, at one side of the working face, and afterward moved laterally across the working face to form a kerf beneath the body of the vein to facilitate breaking down the material for transportation from the mine. In such machines the cuttings produced by the cutting mechanism are drawn rearwardly by the movement of the cutting bits and discharged within the main frame of the mining machine as the bits pass around the driving sprocket wheel. The accumulation of cuttings in proximity to the sprocket wheel tends to choke the machine and cause the bits to carry slack forward along the return side of the cutter arm to be dropped in the kerf thereby interfering with the proper breaking down of the material. As heretofore practised these cuttings have been removed by the use of a shovel in the hands of the miners helper. To meet the requirements of modern methods of mining, larger and more powerful mining machines have been developed wherein the cutter arm sometimes projects as much as ten or twelve feet under the coal. In such machines it has been found that the capacity of the machine is often limited by the ability of the helper to shovel away the slack and better means of slack removal are required in order that the proportionsof the cutting mechanism may be increased to the limit of economical operation.

It is the especial object of this invention to provide a mechanically actuated shoveling device, for the removal of these cuttings, which may be conveniently attached to the mining machine when it is in position for operation or may be separated therefrom for transportation from one working place to the next.

The devices by which I accomplish this purpose are set forth in the following specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings of which Figure 1 is a plan view of a short wall mining machine of well known construction equipped with the slack shoveling device of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the devices illustrated in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a cross section along the line 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4L is a cross section along the line H of Fig. 1-.

Fig. 5 is a rear elevation of my slack shovcling device.

Like numerals refer to similar parts in the several figures.

For the purpose of illustration 1 have shown in the drawings a short wall mining machine of well known construction having a main frame 1 supported upon a base plate 2 which is adapted to rest upon and slide over the floor of the mine. Supported upon the main frame 1 is a horizontally projecting cutter frame 3 about the edges of which travels a cutter chain 4:: having renewable cutter bits 5 adapted to engage the material to be mined. The cutter chain 4 passes around a sprocket wheel 6 positioned near the rear end of the machine and connected through suitable gearing, not shown in the drawing, with the motor 7 mounted upon the main frame 1. Power to actuate the motor 7 is supplied from a convenient source of electric supply through the flexible conductor cable 8, and controlling devices 9 are arranged for convenient manipulation by the operator to control the operation of the motor 7. A winding drum 10 is mounted upon the frame 1 of the mining machine and connected through suitable gearing, not

shown in the drawing, with the motor 7.

A cable 11 is arranged to be wound upon the drum 10 and extend around suitable guide sheaves to an anchor outside of the machine in such manner that by the winding of the cable upon the reel the machine will be moved over the floor of the mine to perform its cutting operations. A second winding drum 12 is mounted upon the main to an anchor outside of the machine. Suitable brake mechanism is the unwinding of this ca le 13'thereby bale ancing the strain produced by the cutting mechanism and the feed cable to ,hold the mining machine in proper working relation- '10- v Positioned immediately I mining machine is my:1mproved shovel1ng.

to the face of thevein."

' device, indicated as an entirety in-the drawapertures in the main frame I of the minaxes. Sec'uredto-the chain19at'spaced intervals a're a plurality offperpendicularly extending flights 22 which serve to engage 'the coal cuttings and them' into and 1 along an inclined conveyer trough 23 to be discharged in pilesat such a distance in the rear of the machine thatthey will be out of the way of the miner while handling the mining machine or when breaking down .and loading the coal. A similar trough 24 is provided for supportingthe return strand of the conveyer element. The conveyer troughs 23' and 24 are supportedby. a; self contained structure '25 in the upper member of which is formed the 'de ways 26 and 27 along which the chain 19' travels. The lower member of the supporting structure is'ex anded'laterally to form a base plate a 28 a apted torest u on and slide over the bottom floor of the mine.v t its forward end the (plate 29 of the conveyer trough is arrange to overlap the base plate 2 of the mining machine in close proximity to the sprocket wheel 6 in such manner as to receive the coal cuttings when dischar ed by the centrifugal action of the cutter its as they pass around the sprocket wheel. The head sprocket wheel 20 is mounted upon the upper end of a vertical shaft 30 journaled in the bearing 31 of the sup ortin structure 25. To the lower end of the s aft 30 is attached a bevel gear 32 which engages a similar bevel gear 33 fixed to the transverse driving shaft 34. The shaft 34 is journaled in bearings 35 of the supporting structureand has upon its projecting end a sprocket wheel 36 in alinement with a similar sprocket wheel 37 upon the mining machine to which it may be connected by an endless chain 38.;

train of gears, not s own in the drawing,"

iprovided to retard I frear o in the rear of the" "received by. "t

ing, or

enterm ,cutiwhen the mining mac me has been a uste to begin its lateral cuttingo 'erationfthe shovelmg device, as above ealfording geihsr the actuation scribedf .will be placed in positionatthe the mining machine,

I the coupling links 17 and 18 engaged with the apertures of; the mining machlne frame 1, and the driving chain 38 put s rocket wheels '36 and 37 to drive t e shove duced by the cutter bits 5 willbe disc arged by the centrifugal action of the bits passing around the. sprocket wheel 6 and will be conveyer, From-the plate 29 these cuttings .will be gathered by the scraper flights 22,

and propelled rearwardly and upwardly 'through thetrough 23 and discharged at the rear of the machine at such distance from i the coal face that they will not interfere with the manipulation'of the mining machine or with the breaking down and loadin place u on theng conveyer. As the mining machine adings by. the numeral 16.. Coupling links 17\vances along-the coal face the cuttin and 18 adapted to engage with suitable so i e plate 29 ofthe shoveling ing of the coal. After the completioniof the cut across theface of the links 17 and.18 and the will be disconnected from coal the coupling driving chain 38 the minin machine, and the mining machine and s oveling device may be separately transported to the next working place. 'What I claim'1s- 1. In a mining apparatus, thecombination witha mining machine adapted to be moved along the face of the coal to form a kerf at the base thereof, a supplemental frame detachably connected to and movable with said mining machine, conveying mechanism mounted upon said supplemental frame adapted to receive the coal cuttings from the mining machine-and remove them from roximity therewith.

2. a mimng apparatus, the combination with a mimn "machineadapted to be moved along the ace of the coal to form a kerf at the base thereof, a,supplemental frame detachably connected with said minin machine, conveying mechanism mountef upon said supplemental frame and actuated from the power devices of the mining machine to receive the coal cuttings from the minin machine and reto and movable moved along the face of the coal to' form a kerf at the base thereof, a supplemental frame adapted, to rest upon and slide over the floor of the mine, means to connect said supplemental frame with said mining machme to move it therewith, conveyin mechanism mounted in said supplement frame adapted to receive coal cuttings from said aerate-a mining machine and remove them from proximity therewith.

i. In a mining apparatus, the combination With'a minlng machine comprising a main frame adapted to be moved along the face of the coal and an elongated cuttin mechanism carried by said main frame an adapted to form a kerf at the base of the vein, of a supplemental frame adapted to rest upon the floor of the mine and to be detachably connected to and to move with said main frame, and conveying mechanism mounted upon said supplemental frame and adapted to receive the coal cuttings from said cutting mechanism and to remove them from proximity to the mining machine.

5. In a mimng apparatus, the combination with a mining machine comprising a main frame adapted to be moved along the face of the coal, an elongated cutting mechanism carried by said main frame and adapted to form a kerf at the base of the vein, and a motor mounted upon said main frame to actuate the operative parts of the mining machine, of a supplemental frame adapted to rest upon the floor of the mine and to be detachably connected to and to move with the said main frame, a conveying mechanism mounted upon the supplemental frame and adapted to receive the coal cuttings from said cutting mechanism and to remove them from proximity to the mining machine, and means to actuate the said conveying mechanism from the motor of the mining machine.

6. In a mining apparatus, the combination with a mining machine having a main frame adapted to movement over the floor of the mine, a sprocket wheel mounted in said main frame, a cutter chain actuated by said sprocket wheel and adapted to travel in a horizontal path to form a kerf at the base of the coal vein, a supplemental frame ada ted to rest upon and slide over the floor of t e mine, means to connect said supplemental frame with said main frame to move it therewith, conveying mechanism mounted upon said supplemental frame and extending to points adjacent said sprocket wheel to receive coal'cuttings delivered by said cutter chain and remove them from proximity with the machine.

In a mining apparatus, the combination with a mining machine having a main frame adapted to movement over the floor of the mine, a sprocket wheel mounted in said main frame, a cutter chain actuated by said sprocket wheel and adapted to travel in a horizontal path to form a kerf at the base of the coal vein, a supplemental frame detachably connected to and movable with said main frame, conveying mechanism mounted upon said supplemental frame and extending to points adjacent said sprocket wheel to receive coal cuttings delivered by .the cutter chain and remove them from proximity with the machine, and means to actuate said conveying mechanism from the power devices of said mining machine.

8. In a mining the combination with a mining machine having a main frame adapted to movement over the floor of the mine, a sprocket wheel mounted in said main frame, a cutter chain actuated by said sprocket wheel and adapted to travel in a horizontal path to form a kerf at the base of the coal vein, a supplemental frame detachably connected to and movable with said main frame, conveying mechanism mounted upon said supplemental frame and extending to points adjacent said sprocket wheel to receive the coal cuttings delivered by the cutter chain and remove them from proximity with the machine.

In testimony whereof I afix my signa ture, in the presence of two witnesses.

NILS I). LEVIN.

Witnesses:

Dunner 'I. Frsnmn, Hannr C. DEAN, 

